


A Pocket Full of Quarters

by TinyBat



Series: Calliope and Euterpe [1]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV), Teen Wolf (TV), Vampire Diaries (TV), Veronica Mars (TV)
Genre: F/M, multi-fandom - Freeform, music fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-10-16
Updated: 2012-11-05
Packaged: 2017-11-16 11:41:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/539048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TinyBat/pseuds/TinyBat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Scenes of a romantic nature accompanied by music. Multi-fandom.<br/>A pocket full of quarters is how you make a jukebox work. Stick money in, get a song out.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Arms of the Ocean (Logan and Veronica)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Never Let Me Go - Florence + the Machine
> 
> And the arms of the ocean are carrying me,  
> And all this devotion was rushing out of me,  
> And the crashes are heaven, for a sinner like me,  
> The arms of the ocean deliver me.

Wallace was fairly certain he was the only one who thought his life was a B plot in a movie about the life of Veronica Mars. He was fine with that, less chance of being run over, shot, stuffed in a small space, or victimized in the name of semi-vigilante justice. What blew him away was Veronica's intensity and what it brought out in various aspects of her life. Love specifically. 

Love had a way of absolutely destroying everything around it when Veronica welcomed it in to her life. If Duncan Kane had been a particularly bad thunderstorm, then Logan Echolls had been a hurricane. Logan and Veronica were a force of nature, building and destroying each other a little bit more every hour they spent together. It was Wallace's duty as Veronica's best friend to get her as far away from the situation as possible when things ended. Last time they had gone to Disney and Veronica looked ready to disembowel every happy couple they passed.

It had been over a year since Logan had been in the picture but he was still everywhere. The tabloids needed an Echolls to make money and Logan had stepped in to fill the "Hot Mess" position after his sister Trina was sent to rehab. He was doing spectacularly for himself in that regard; falling out of limos, parading around with models, getting kicked out of night clubs, and generally proving to everybody but Veronica that his life was in shambles without her. Veronica was not impressed by any of this, seeing it for only half of what it was. A cry for attention and an apology. An apology for all the times things had gone badly, the girls he had been with that weren't her, the times he just couldn't get it together. 

Wallace had the idea that Logan was playing Batman. Only keeping up the image while never really letting himself get out of control. He was right. His suspicions were confirmed after a clearly exhausted and foul tempered Veronica slammed her door so hard the frame cracked. Her phone was on the living room table with the latest gossip splashed across the screen.

"LOGAN ECHOLLS INTERVIEW: It's all just a game..."

Damn. A quick scroll through Veronica's contacts gave him Logan's number. A quick text to the man later and Wallace was dragging Veronica out of her room and off to a nightspot with her phone in his pocket.

"Wallace I swear to god, I will break your face on that steering wheel if you don't tell me where we're going!'" threatened the angry pixie in the passengers seat. Veronica was the perfect picture of a volcano on eruption day. 

"No can do Mars. I'm doing my job as your best friend once again and giving you what you need. So hush your mouth and look out the window until we get there." Wallace was going to finish the Veronica Mars movie with a bang.

A resistant Veronica let Wallace lead her into a recently opened rock club with sotto vocé grumbling about severe bodily harm.

"Trust me V. You will thank me when this night is over. I'm the B plot in the 3 hour drama that is your life. Let me tie up the loose ends and give you the ending you deserve."

The doors opened and the music was loud enough to shake the pair down to their bones. They found seats by the bar and Wallace pulled Veronica's phone out of his pocket. 

we're here. where are you?-W

where she can't see me. I can see you both fine. you sure this is a good idea? i'll be recognized in the next 5 minutes if this doesn't move along. -L

then get your ass over here and sweep her off her feet! i've done my fairy godbrother duties for the evening.- W

distract her and i'll be on my way- L

Wallace shoved the phone back into his jeans and foisted the nearst drinks menu off into Veronica's restless hands. "Find something as neon colored and fruit filled as you like. I'm getting my fairy godbrother on and it'll work better if you've had something to drink first..." 

"Wallace, Veronica. Long time no see." came an entirely too familiar voice from over Wallace's shoulder. Veronica had stopped tapping her hands on the counter, she may have stopped breathing too but Wallace was too preoccupied to notice.

"I'll just leave you two alone to talk then." And with that Wallace found a space at the edge of the dance floor to watch the lovers hash out their issues. Please Logan, don't screw this up. You need each other. The music changed in tone and lowered in volume but not enough for him to hear what they were saying. Veronica was crying now and shaking her head and Logan looked like all the regret in the world was resting on his shoulders. He reached up to touch her face, she turned to walk away, the music in the background swelled, and Logan pulled her into a kiss you only get at the end of a movie. 

Job done. They didn't look like they'd pull back for air any time soon so Wallace just took the moment to admire just how right he was. Veronica's life was a movie was a drama with the most cliche'd but beautiful ending of them all. The sweeping score and the kiss to blow all the others out of the water.


	2. Seldom All They Seem (Derek and Lydia)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lydia seems like the girl who would sing in the car both by herself and to piss off other people. I couldn't write this and not have that person be Derek.
> 
> Once Upon A Dream - Sleeping Beauty
> 
> I know you  
> I walked with you once upon a dream.  
> I know you  
> The gleam in your eyes is so familiar a gleam  
> Yes, I know it's true  
> But if I know you, I know what you'll do  
> You'll love me at once  
> the way you did once upon a dream

Of all the people Derek had to drive over an hour out of Beacon Hills it had to be Lydia Martin. Stiles nearly fell over volunteering to take her but his jeep was already full and she had been a late addition. Derek had already grown used to the very human Stiles and his presence in the pack but Lydia had been thrown into their world head first and had made herself right at home as the second human. It hadn't been his idea to go to an amusement park, that was all Scott. Derek wanted to train. No, the training had been veto'ed by all and to the amusement park they went. 

Jackson had opted out because he was playing wingman for Danny so it left Derek, Stiles, Scott, Erica, Boyd, Isaac, and Erica. Erica decided to drive herself, with the idea of being in a car full of boys for over an hour being unpleasant. That left Derek with Lydia, she and Erica didn't get on and he wasn't going to have Erica try to rip the human's jugular out and throw it onto the freeway.

After 20 minutes of arguing when he picked her up, she put her ipod in, pulled a frighteningly large book out of her purse and they hit the road. No amount of rollercoasters was going to be worth the misery, he was sure of that. Lydia had been mercifully quiet for the first 20 minutes and Derek only had to contend with the low hum of her earphones and the turning of pages but then the singing had started. Her voice wasn't bad, it was pleasant and smooth but it was more the principle of the thing that had Derek wanting to drive into oncoming traffic. Disney, of all the things on her ipod to sing she was singing a Disney song.

He couldn't quite pinpoint it because it sounded like she was only singing half the words but he wasn't about to interrupt her. It did keep her from giving him a tongue lashing over his temperment. Lydia didn't seem aware of what she was doing until Derek drove over a pothole and she snapped out of her reverie.

"Was I doing that out loud?" she asked, pulling the earpieces out and turning to look at him. "Yeah, but I wasn't really paying attention. What was it from?" inquired the Alpha for no reason he could fathom at the moment. Lydia turned an astounding shade of red and told him it was from Sleeping Beauty. Derek had to laugh at that, Lydia would be a Disney Princess. Albeit a princess in designer clothes with a tongue on her that could kill a man at 30 paces. His forehead crinkled as he tried to focus on both driving and pulling the other half of the song out of his memory. He and Laura had a collection of tapes when they were younger, he was certain Sleeping Beauty was one of them.

"You're laughing at me! I'm sorry if that twisted heap you call a soul doesn't have an ounce of romance in it!" snapped a still embarrassed Lydia, burying her face in her book. The comment stung slightly, Derek knew about romance. A little too well in fact. 

"Yes i'm laughing at you. I didn't peg you for a happy ending type of girl." he said. Lydia was still boring a hole into the pages of her book, intent on ignoring him. It didn't work. 

"I'm not. But if i'm going to be thrown into a world with monsters and magic, then I figured i'd reacquaint myself. I'm taking a folklore and mythology course at the community college on tuesdays and an online course on fairytales on thursdays." Lydia indicated the paper brick in her hands. "It's a series of annotated fairy tales in their original forms. Sleeping Beauty was actually a complete horror show. As for the music, it's one of my favorite songs. I might not believe in happily ever after but it's nice to pretend sometimes." 

Those last words hit Derek with enough force to nearly cause a collison with the car in front of him. Maybe they were more alike than he'd originally thought. "That's quite the statement. I do actually know a few things about romance. Nothing about happy endings though. Like you, I don't think they exist. I've seen a lot and I've never seen a single thing to prove that they exist. I did love someone Lydia. I wanted to pretend then. I did. It's never worth it when something makes you stop. But onto something different. Were all original fairy tales miserable or am I just not up to snuff on my Grimm and Perrault?" 

Derek was well past uncomfortable now but the girl next to him seemed to have a little bit more to her than he originally thought. He'd keep her talking, it passed time. The girl shifted away towards the window for a moment, apparently she hadn't been expecting an admission like that. He hadn't expected to give one. 

"Well originally they served as warnings against immmorality and disobedience and things like that. Cinderella had feet being chopped apart, Sleeping Beauty had pregnancy from rape, The Little Mermaid died at the end. Disney liked the principle though and made the stories a bit more child friendly but still horrifying enough for you to realized it 12 years later at 3 in the morning. Part of my next assignment is to watch 3 Disney films and mark the differences from the original tale." Lydia had recovered magnificiently from whatever emotion Derek had evoked and went straight into academic mode. 

"Feet? I always knew something about glass slippers were wrong" Derek shuddered at the image. He liked his feet exactly the way they were. "They weren't originally glass." Lydia didn't seem bothered by it, she'd probably had a lot of shoe related injuries. "If you're interested I was going to start tomorrow. I have a bunch of books at my house, some of them aren't exactly on the list. I think Red Riding Hood might be something to start you on. You're welcome to stop by." She was half immersed in her book again and didn't seem to hear the words come out. If she did know what she was saying then she was making a damn good show out of pretending. 

Derek didn't seem to see the harm in it. She'd be around anyway so why not get used to her. "Yeah, I think i'd like that." 

"Good, i'm starting at 8. Bring your own popcorn."


	3. And You Will Keep Me Safe (Stefan and Caroline)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Caroline's love of dramatics is one of the many wonderful things about her. I'm sure she's big on musicals. As for Stefan, i'm sure he's met Victor Hugo.
> 
> A Little Fall of Rain- Les Miserables
> 
> And you will keep me safe I will stay with you  
> And you will keep me close Till you are sleeping  
> And rain And rain  
> Will make the flowers... Will make the flowers...  
> Grow

It had been a hideously long night at the Salvatore house. Damon and Elena had gotten into a screaming match that Stefan was certain could have been heard from space. They had a lot they needed to resolve and Stefan had no interest in staying there until it was all dealt with. He had called Caroline. Caroline hadn't picked up. As a result, Stefan took the opportunity to step out from the chaos and make the trip to visit the Forbes house and see if he could find the wayward Caroline.

Caroline didn't leave the door locked anymore, the ability to rip a mans head off and crush it into dust had left her confident in her ability to protect herself. Klaus also seemed to take a vested interest in making sure she was well protected. Not something Stefan liked but he never wanted Caroline to have another night like she did with Brady and Jules. He was oddly grateful to the Original for keeping an eye out. 

He crossed the thresh hold of her front door and called out to her "Caroline? You here? Care?". He had adopted the nickname and she didn't seem to mind. A wet trumpeting noise and a small voice from the basement called back. "Down here Stefan. Can you bring more tissues?" Tissues? Why would Caroline need tissues? And where was that music coming from? A trip to the kitchen later, Stefan had the tissues and made the descent into the basement. 

Caroline was curled up in a purple blanket surrounded by tissues and staring intently at the television. It took Stefan a minute to place what the girl was watching but then a french flag appeared on screen and it clicked. Caroline had put on Les Miserables. The absurdly dramatic girl would be fan of musicals. Sure enough, this was why Caroline was currently sobbing into the hem of her blanket.

Stefan made himself at home on the couch next to her and handed the blonde the box of tissues. He couldn't blame her for crying, the story was a tragedy. He'd always preferred the book.

"If you're going to stay, you're going to have to deal an endless stream of tears on my end." murmured Caroline from behind her blanket. Stefan hated seeing her cry. She was the human or once human embodiment of sunlight and his best friend. It didn't do for her to cry.

"You know Caroline, I met Victor Hugo before he died. 1870. 13 years before he died. I travelled to Paris for a taste of culture and french women if I'm being totally honest. Paris was remarkable then. Beautiful and so strange to me. It was before the Moulin Rouge became a sensation but I did keep entertained." He shot her a smile in response to the half amused glare she was giving him. 

"I haven't read the book. My dad took me to New York to see the show when I was little and I fell in love with the music. I used to make Matt, Bonnie, Tyler, and Elena play barricade with me. I always got to be Eponine!" she gave him a watery smile of her own. " I keep forgetting that you're old Stef, you look good for an old guy." Caroline was laughing now which was a mercy, it was getting to the point in the show where Eponine died and Stefan wanted to keep her busy.

"Damn right I look good. Victor Hugo was an amazing man, he had a very clear personal distinction between right and wrong." Stefan was quiet for a moment, thinking on the people he'd met. Caroline broke the silence with a small sob. Eponine had been shot and lay dying in Marius' arms. Stefan wanted to laugh at his friend but she looked absolutely broken hearted. He reached out to squeeze her shoulder and she buried herself blanket and all into his chest. 

Tears soaked through his shirt and Caroline was still shaking with sobs, later he might need to put in a Disney movie or something to cheer her up. He wrapped an arm around her and pulled the crying girl closer to him, maybe she needed to cry. He'd happily stay until she exhausted herself and fell asleep if that was what she needed. 

"Sssshh Care, it's over. You can look again. The barricade is in focus again. No more flowers okay?" Caroline's hand shot out from beneath her blanket to grab tissues and clean herself up. "I got you all wet. I'm sorry..." she croaked between tissues.

"It's fine. We'll find something happy to watch after this. Okay?" Stefan smiled down at his friend, she hadn't moved away from him and his arm stayed firmly in place. It was relaxing, even with such sad material as the focus of the moment. Caroline nodded and flashed the smile only reserved for him. "Thank you for staying. I'm not sure i'd be able to get through all those cute french students dying by myself." The laugh following that statement made the exhaustion accompanying the evenings previous activites disappear.

"I'll lend you my copy of the book some time. It's signed though so I want it back..." Stefan propped his feet up on the coffee table in front of the couch and settled in for the barrage of gunfire, more tragedy, and what was probably going to be a John Hughes marathon. This was the best evening he'd had in a while.


	4. The Violence In Your Heart (Captain Hook and Aurora)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Captain Hook doesn't even show up officially until this sunday and I ship him with Aurora. the scruffy looking nerf herder bastard pirate and the princess with anger issues and all sorts of shiny sensibilities for him to offend.
> 
> Aurora is a product of Court rule and all of the little ugly things that make a person wise enough to run a kingdom. I don't see her as naive, just not in her element. Like anyone of high standing she knows exactly where she should be and how to get what she wants. 
> 
> Undisclosed Desires - Muse
> 
> I want to reconcile the violence in your heart  
> I want to recognise your beauty's not just a mask  
> I want to exorcise the demons from your past  
> I want to satisfy the undisclosed desires in your heart

Of the women he'd encountered and then been soundly trounced by, the little princess was his favorite. So young and lovely with all sorts of trouble just under her skin. Grief surrounded her like smoke and with grief came anger. He could work with that.

The Queen, her unbelievably strong daughter, the she-warrior and the princess had captured him and brought him back to their village. The Queen's daughter had hauled off and hit him so hard in the jaw that his lip split and his teeth rattled. He had merely commented on her loveliness. His aching mouth was a reminder not to use such language again. They'd caged him like an animal and posted guards around the area. The mighty pirate captain's reputation clearly preceeded him and for the first time in a long while Captain Hook allowed himself to feel a little satisfaction.

Each of the women in turn had come to speak with him, all with different methods. The Queen appealed to him as the gentleman all truly good pirates happened to be. He hadn't given her any information of use. The wretch that hit him came not long after with more threats of violence. He wouldn't have minded if she had gotten closer to him. He had been along for so very long. He let his mouth run again and then the she warrior appeared. She was all patience and wariness, still and cautious. He was fascinated by her, he'd seen the land she came from and destroyed their merchant ships. He said as much. She left with a scowl.

Finally, when the others were asleep and the guards were rotating, the princess revealed herself to him. "I'm not here about magic. I have another question. About monsters." came the quavering voice of the girl. She was even more lovely by torchlight and he had to concentrate for a moment before answering. "What would a slip of a girl like you know about monsters? Has some young lad filled your lovely head with stories?" Hook was curious now, she was a princess, what business did she have with monsters and why would she come to him? Perhaps the murdering bastard aspect of his charming personality has been mentioned to her. Bloodthirsty pirate legend was a title he proudly claimed, slayer of monsters wasn't.

"You've travelled far and seen many things, i've been told. What do you know of wraiths? An acquaintance of mine was attacked and my wish for vengeance is great but my knowledge of them is precious little." The princess was staring him directly in the eye now. He could see the anger there again, the grief as well. She lost someone important. He wasn't in the business of pity but he quite liked vulnerable maidens. They liked him too. Lovely she may be but vengeance was an ugly thing. Such ferocity from a delicate girl like her. 

Her anger made her bold so when she stepped up to the bars of the cage he was taken aback. Being so close to a woman like her made him ache for reasons other than recent violence done to his person. "I'll tell you what I know love, so long as you stay right where you are. So much anger for one so beautiful. What's your name? I imagine you already know mine so do forgive me if I forego an introduction." The princess continued to hold his gaze and replied with confidence. "Princess Aurora, daughter of King Stefan. I am commanding you to answer me. No pretty words, pirate. Just answers." She had a queenly bearing to her now. Any trace of fear was gone and the torchlit girl with it. Before him was a woman with flames dancing in her soul. She was magnificent.

"Wraiths feed on the human soul, hellishly difficult to wound. Sunlight isn't good for them. Fire, even worse. No blades will do them harm but fire will. They are darkness given form, you have to bait the one you're after and set it alight. If it dies, the souls it has taken will return." Hook leaned his shoulder against the bars and continued to watch her. The person she had lost had been a man she dearly loved. Nothing but love could cut into a persons being so clearly. It almost hurt to look at her. He wanted this queen for his own.

She was of marrying age but had no ring to signify that a ceremony had taken place. Her innocence remained intact. That innocence coupled with the fire made her exactly the woman he desired to sail with. She had seen defeat and terror but remained intact. This Aurora was his beloved ship come alive. She would be his.

"Princess, I can give you what you desire. I can assure you that with me by your side that you will have your vengeance. But come away with me and I can give you everything you never knew you wanted. Everything you've only ever dreamed of feeling. I will make you queen of the raging seas and you will never know monsters again." She was breathing hard now, caught in his words and her hands were clasped around the bars. Aurora would hear him out. They could be rid of the others and he could learn everything about her in the way he wanted and he would teach her everything he knew.

"Like all true pirate captains I am a gentleman, so I will ask only with politeness. But know that I see more in you now than the man you're desperate to save ever will. Come with me and you will never feel caged by court rules or petty whispers. You would be by my side as an equal and we would be happy. I can show you the world and all the wonder it offers. You can get what you what from him but I can give you what I can see you need." Captain Hook was a man of words as much as he was a man of action. He had this lovely creature ensnared. Her eyes had filled with wonder, lust, and anger all in equal measure, one hand left the bars and slapped him. She was clever but he had gotten through to her. Her hand lingered for a brief moment before she fled back into the night.

Yes, Aurora would have everything she needed if she came with him. Hook didn't know much of love but he knew passion and recognized that in her. He played to her passions with his own and neither would win. She would be his downfall if she came with him and he'd happily sink with her at his side.


	5. Merciless Eyes (Rumplestiltskin and Belle)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like while Belle would have a little trouble initially adjusting to Storybrooke, she'd find things she loves. I feel like she'd love movies. More specifically, James Bond films. Because the women are smart, sexy, and deadly. They don't answer to anyone and Belle so desperately wanted to be brave and go have an adventure. It doesn't help that Daniel Craig is ridiculously sexy. Rum may not take kindly to it.
> 
> You Know My Name - Chris Cornell
> 
> If you take a life do you know what you'll give?  
> Odds are you won't like what it is  
> When the storm arrives would you be seen with me  
> By the merciless eyes of deceit?

The last thing he should have done was show her how a television worked. Books were so much healthier than television, they brought knowledge. But no, he had to show Belle how to work the tv and dvd player. This mess was his fault. Admittedly there were certainly worse things for Belle to have latched onto so there was the silver lining right there. 

Rumplestiltskin was a closet James Bond fan, he had all 24 films including Never Say Never Again. They provided a wonderful distraction and the villains were a joy to watch. Belle had watched all of them in 2 weeks, she absolutely adored them. The women were strong, smart, beautiful, and dangerous. It was a pleasant surprise for her, the woman who left her father for a beast in the name of being brave. It wasn't just the women though, the Connery films had drastically improved their already amazing sex life. He had a suspicion it was the accent. Brosnan didn't quite do it for her, Craig on the other hand did. 

The tonal shift of the Craig movies were something she admired when she understood the history behidn them and read up on world affairs. He had heard her giggling over the phone to Ruby while he was showering, they had apparently been discussing the bathing suit scene in Casino Royale. The wolf girl had been a frequent visitor to the house during films. Belle had a friend to talk to and that overjoyed him, maybe slightly less so when Daniel Craig's lower regions were the subject of discussion.

Belle brought new enjoyment to watching the films, most often because she would want to be a Bond Girl afterwar which suited him magnificently. Also because she'd have a book with her detailing the history of the period or some significant event in the background of the film. The books she left in piles all over the bedroom about the Cold War were a fascinating read. 

She had also taken to singing or humming the theme under her breath when some menial task was being undertaken. Sometimes she'd dance, and on one memorable evening she had made a wooden spoon into a prop handgun. 

It was something he was happy to share with her but he'd have to move her onto something else when she realized that the new movie might not show in Storybrooke. If only because Regina probably knew Belle had a fondness for them and ensure that it wouldn't. 

He did have Indiana Jones in the basement, that might be safe. Plenty of fascinating books to go along with it atleast. She would look marvelous in that hat. Yes, Raiders of the Lost Ark would be the next thing he showed her.


End file.
